Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging
8.2.21
AVAILABLE NOW Ferry firm wants unaccompanied loads sent to Poole and Portsmouth
Go west, urges Brittany Ferries as traffic rises
ENTRIES ARE N OW O P E N
NEWS INSIDE Expanding at pace Caribou snaps up C&D
By Chris Tindall
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Fagan & Whalley restructure p4
New buzz in the market Volta gears up for first EVs
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OPERATORS INSIDE Abbey Logistics ............................................. p7 Caribou ......................................................... p3 Fagan & Whalley ........................................... p4 Fred Sherwood & Sons ................................... p7 Hermes......................................................... p7 Howard Tenens.............................................. p4 JWT Commercial........................................... p3 Mark Thompson Transport ............................. p4 Owens Group................................................. p8 Palletways.................................................... p3 Pollock (Scotrans)......................................... p8
Brittany Ferries has urged firms to send unaccompanied trailers via ports on the western channel designed to receive driverless loads, as demand rises. The ferry company said the need for drivers to provide negative Covid-19 tests had driven the trend for unaccompanied loads travelling from the continent to UK ports such as Portsmouth and Poole. Ferry firms reported reduced freight volumes in January as a consequence of Brexit concerns and stockpiling. But Brittany Ferries said the proportion of unaccompanied units was already much higher than in previous years. Simon Wagstaff, Brittany Ferries freight director, said there were also financial benefits in going driverless. “We know of one large haulage
operation in Ireland, for example, that has organised reciprocal arrangements with another in Spain, dropping off and picking up trailers for each other,” he said. “That’s a cost-effective way of doing business.” Last year, Forth Ports launched an unaccompanied freight ferry terminal at Tilbury2, which it said would help reduce the spread of Covid-19. In December, the group
reported a 20% increase in unaccompanied freight volumes between Tilbury and Zeebrugge.
UK imports from France plummet over extra costs
Record numbers of hauliers declined to move goods from France to Britain in the second week of January, while those that did raised their prices significantly. Experts predict the fall could take three months to resolve. According to data from German software firm Transporeon, prices to move goods from France to the UK rose by over 50% that week compared with Q3 2020, while rejection rates jumped by 168%. Meanwhile, figures from smart payment system provider SNAP showed the number of European drivers parking in the UK fell by 26% in January compared with the end of 2020.
STEP UP: Britain’s youngest female transport manager and CPC holder has slammed the logistics sector for not doing enough to attract new recruits. Twenty-year-old Molly Watson, project manager with Osborne Motor Transport in South Shields (pictured with MD Richard Preston), said efforts to plug the skills gap face an uphill battle unless the industry addresses issues such as lack of investment in truckstops and secure parking. She said the sector’s unattractive reputation for long hours and poor staff services meant vacancies were unlikely to be filled, adding that many women who pass their test do not progress to jobs behind the wheel because of poor investment in truckstops’ and service areas’ facilities – an issue that also affects management and operational roles. “The industry needs to step up,” Watson said. “Too many truckstops have closed and the sector needs to improve its reputation and facilities to attract men and women. I wouldn’t want to be a driver in the current climate.”
GENERATION
renault-trucks.co.uk
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